Features
15 jan 19

Ford and Volkswagen announce alliance at NAIAS

At the North American Auto Show in Detroit, Jim Hackett, CEO of Ford and Herbert Diess, CEO of Volkswagen just announced that both OEM’s have decided to work together to cut the cost of new technology development.

The first part of the collaboration will be the joint development of commercial vans and mid-size pickups for global markets beginning as early as 2022. The alliance will drive significant scale and efficiencies and enable the sharing of investments in vehicle architectures that deliver distinct capabilities and technologies.

In addition, both companies signed a memorandum of understanding to investigate the sharing of resources to develop autonomous vehicles, EV’s and mobility services.

 

Ford’s CEO, Jim Hackett, said that “this alliance will help both companies create value and meet the needs of our customers and society, and will give both VW and Ford the opportunity to collaborate on shaping the next era of mobility.”

 

The alliance, that does not entail cross-ownership between the two companies, will be governed by a joint committee, led by Hackett and Diess. It will be the largest in the industry, and seems necessary, given the fact that both manufacturers are confronted with falling diesel sales and a slowdown in the Chinese car market, combined with the excessive cost of electrical and autonomous vehicle development.

 

Photo: Volkswagen Newsroom

Authored by: Stijn Blanckaert